CONSTITUTION OF THE
TRUMBULL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
2005
ARTICLE I — NAME
The name of this association shall be the Trumbull Education Association.
ARTICLE II — OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this organization shall be to promote the enhancement of education, to improve the professional status of its members, to cooperate with the CEA and NEA for purposes of mutual professional advancement, and to promote the intellectual well-being of the children whom we teach.
ARTICLE III — MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Active Membership
a. All teachers and other certified professional employees below the rank of assistant superintendent, not eligible for membership in the administrators' bargaining unit as defined in Section 10-153b of the Connecticut General Statutes, may become active members of the TEA. This membership is with the stipulation that they are also members of the Connecticut Education Association and the National Education Association.
b. Active membership shall be continuous until the member leaves the school system, resigns from the Association, or fails to pay membership dues.
Section 2. Other employees of the Trumbull Board of Education shall be eligible for one of the classes of membership as provided in the Bylaws.
Section 3. Adherence to the code of Ethics of the Education Profession adopted by the Association shall be a condition of continuance of membership.
Section 4. The Association shall not deny membership to individuals on the basis of race, creed, national origin, age, or sex nor shall any organization which so denies membership be affiliated with the Association.
Section 5. All right, title and interest, both legal and equitable, of a member in and to the property of the Association shall end upon the termination of such membership.
Section 6. Expulsion and reinstatement of members shall be governed by the procedure outlined in the Constitution of the Connecticut Education Association.
ARTICLE IV — DUE PROCESS
Due process for members shall be provided in accordance with Connecticut Education Association Board Policy on Appeals Procedure.
ARTICLE V — OFFICERS
Section 1. The officers of the Association shall consist of a president/co-presidents, three vice presidents (one from the elementary level, one from the middle school level, and one from the high school level), a secretary, and a treasurer.
Section 2. The terms of the president/co-presidents and vice presidents shall be for two years to be elected in even-numbered years.
Section 3. The terms of the secretary and treasurer shall be for two years to be elected in odd-numbered years.
Section 4. The officers shall assume office at the June meeting of the Representative Council following their election.
Section 5. Vacancies occurring by reason of death, resignation, incapacity or by other disqualifications shall be filled in accordance with procedures defined in the Bylaws.
ARTICLE VI — EXECUTIVE BOARD
Section 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the officers, the association representative to the Board of Education, the immediate past president/co-presidents, two members elected by the Representative Council from its ranks and three at-large members elected from and by the general membership. The immediate past president/co-presidents will remain as members of the Executive Board for a period of one year following the completion of their term of office and shall advise the Executive Board and perform other duties mutually agreed upon.
Section 2. Under personnel policies adopted by the Representative Council and within the annual budget, the Executive Board shall have the power to employ a staff for the efficient management of the Association.
ARTICLE VII — REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
Section 1. The legislative and policy-forming body of the Association shall be the Representative Council.
Section 2. The Representative Council shall consist of the Executive Board, Chairs of Standing Committees, and one representative for every fifteen (or fraction thereof) active members in their respective schools and units as determined by the Executive Board.
Section 3. For the purpose of attaining an accurate number of active members in each school, these members shall be counted at the school where they receive their paycheck.
Section 4. Each Representative and Alternative shall be elected for a term of one year or until a successor has qualified.
ARTICLE VIII — MEETINGS
Section 1. Executive Board: The Executive Board shall meet at a designated date and time selected by the Board, but must meet at least once a month except during July and August which must be at the call of the President(s) or the request of at least three members of the Board.
Section 2. Representative Council: The Representative Council shall meet at a designated date and time at least once a month. The Executive Board shall prepare the Agenda for each meeting and shall circulate it to all members of the Council so that representatives have time to discuss it with their faculty members in advance of the Council meeting.
Special meetings of the Representative Council may be held at the call of the President or upon written request to the Executive Board from five faculty representatives. Business to come before special meetings must be stated in the call.
Section 3. Meetings of the General Membership shall be special meetings to be called at the discretion of the President, the Executive Board or upon petition of seventy-five members of the Association.
Section 4. The most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall be the authority governing all matters of procedure not otherwise provided in the Constitution, Bylaws, or the Rules and Procedures.
Section 5. Quorum A simple majority of members who are present at the roll call, shall be a quorum for the Representative Council, Executive Board, General Membership Meetings, and Committee Meetings.
ARTICLE IX — AFFILIATION
This organization, as an affiliate of the CEA and NEA, shall comply with the standards and procedures set forth in the Bylaws of the Connecticut Education Association and the National Education Association.
ARTICLE X — AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Changes to the Constitution can be proposed in writing by any member provided that the following process is adhered to: 1. Changes must be discussed by the Executive Board at the next meeting following the submission of the proposed change—or as soon as possible after said proposal. 2. A 2/3 affirmative vote, of the Executive Board Members, is necessary in order for the request to be passed on to the Representative Council. 3. Upon passage by the Executive Board, the Representative Council must vote on the request at its next regular meeting—or as soon as possible. An affirmative majority vote by the Council Members present is needed to send the request to the entire membership. 4. Within 30 days of the Representative Council meeting, the membership must vote on the proposed changes.
TRUMBULL EDUCATION ASSOCIATION
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I — MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. There shall be two classes of membership: Active and Honorary.
A. Active membership shall be open to any certificated professional employee who is engaged in or who is on a limited leave of absence from professional educational work. Active membership is limited to persons who support the principles and goals of the Association and maintain membership in the State and National affiliates where eligible.
B. Honorary membership in the Trumbull Education Association shall be extended to those members who retire from the teaching field. This membership entitles them to all privileges of the Association except that of voting.
Section 2. Dues
A. Dues shall include the cost of active membership in the CEA and NEA.
B. Local dues shall be set as part of the annual budget.
C. Payment of dues may be made by payroll deductions or by cash. When a member leaves or enters the school system before the end of the year, dues will be collected only for those months of actual employment.
D. Those teachers who occupy a teaching position greater than .5 will pay full dues. Those teachers who occupy .5 or less of a teaching position will pay half the annual dues.
E. The Association shall enter into a contract with the CEA governing the transmittal of CEA/NEA dues.
ARTICLE II — POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS
Section 1. President: The president(s) shall preside over general meetings of the Association, Executive Board, and Representative Council; appoint chairpersons of the
Standing Committees, Special Committees, and the Joint Committees with the approval of the Executive Board; be ex-officio member(s) of all standing committees, and be the executive officer(s) of the Association. The president(s) shall represent the Association before the public either personally or through delegates at such meetings as the Board of Education, Parent Teacher Association, town meetings, Connecticut Education Association and National Education Association functions, and all other meetings at which his/her presence as representative of the Association is desirable. He/she shall perform all other functions usually attributed to this office. The president's(s') stipend shall be established by the Executive Board with the approval of the Representative Council each year as part of the annual budget.
Section 2. Vice-Presidents: The duties of the vice-presidents will be to assist the grievance chair in processing grievances at their level and all other duties as assigned by the president(s).
Section 3. Secretary: The secretary shall keep accurate minutes of all meetings of the Executive Board, Representative Council, general membership, carry on correspondence, and perform other duties deemed necessary by the president(s).
Section 4. Treasurer: The treasurer shall hold the funds of the Association and disburse them upon authorization of the Executive Board. He/she shall collect the dues and transmit amounts due to the appropriate agency. He/she shall maintain a roll of the members. He/she shall keep accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements, shall report to each meeting of the Representative Council, and shall prepare an annual financial statement as directed by the Executive Board. He/she shall keep the president and Executive Board informed of the financial condition of the Association. He/she shall make and submit an annual budget to the Executive Board and Representative Council prior to the end of the school year.
Section 5. The honorarium for all Executive Board members, except the president(s), shall be to waive the amount of the unified dues assessment. Executive Board members must attend monthly meetings on a regular basis or they will lose the benefit of waived dues.
Section 6. Succession: Whenever the office of the president shall become vacant between elections, except as provided in Article 10, of the Bylaws, a vice-president will serve as president pro-tempore until the Representative Council elects a member to fill the vacancy.
ARTICLE III — POWERS AND DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board shall be responsible for the management of the Association, may appoint an executive secretary, act on all expenditures, approve appointments to all committees, carry out resolutions established by the Representative Council, approve submission of grievances to arbitration, speak for the Association between meetings of the Representative Council, may mediate mid-contract and personnel issues when necessary, report its transactions and those of the Representative Council to the membership, suggest resolutions for consideration by the Representative Council and shall fill any vacancies in office which may occur between elections. The Executive Board may delegate its power to negotiate to another committee or representative with the approval of the Representative Council.
ARTICLE IV — POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE
REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
Section 1. The Representative Council shall approve a budget, set the dues for the Association, act on reports of Committees, resolutions and other policy statements, and shall adopt procedures for implementing the Code of Ethics of the education profession and those to be followed in censuring, suspending, and expelling for cause or for re-instating members. It may adopt such rules governing the employment of staff, the conduct of the Association, and the conduct of meetings as are consistent with this constitution and Bylaws. It shall be the final judge of the qualifications and election of officers and faculty representatives. Powers not delegated to the Executive Board, the officers or other groups in the Association shall be vested in the Representative Council.
Section 2. It shall also be the duty of the Representative Council to determine which major issues shall be voted on by the General Membership by secret ballot in their respective schools. Approval shall be by majority vote.
ARTICLE V — FACULTY REPRESENTATIVES
Section 1. In the month of October of each year, active members in each school will elect for a one year term one representative for every fifteen active members or portion thereof in that school. These representatives elected will be seated at the November meeting of the Representative Council.
Section 2. During the month of October of each year, the active members of each school shall elect one alternate representative for every two or less representatives elected from that school. An alternate may take the place of the regular faculty representative and have full voting privileges provided he has notified the executive secretary prior to the start of the meeting at which he wishes to serve as alternate (and provided he is an alternate of record).
Section 3. Each faculty representative shall attend the regular meetings of the Representative Council. After two unexcused absences of a representative, the president may declare the seat unfilled and call for a faculty election to fill out the term. The president may designate a member in good standing to organize this special election.
Section 4. The faculty representative each month shall call faculty meetings of the Association members to discuss Association business which shall include discussion of minutes of the previous Representative Council meeting and the agenda for the next meeting of that body; shall appoint such faculty committees as the Association may require; and shall organize and oversee the subsequent selections of faculty representatives within his school. He shall also poll his faculty on all major issues.
ARTICLE VI — DELEGATES TO CEA AND NEA
REPRESENTATIVE ASSEMBLIES
Section 1. The T.E.A. shall elect its delegates to the C.E.A. and N.E.A. Representative Assemblies in accordance with the established rules set forth by those respective Associations, with the addition of the special provisions provided below:
A. Any active member will be eligible for nomination as a delegate to the Representative Assemblies if his/her name is submitted to the elections chair on or before the February meeting of the Representative Council.
B. Election of the delegates to the CEA and NEA Representative Assemblies will take place within the first two weeks of March by written ballot of the general membership in their respective schools.
C. The candidates receiving the plurality shall become delegates to the CEA and NEA Representative Assemblies. The remaining candidates will become alternative representatives in the order of the votes that they received.
D. Delegates are elected for a one year term.
E. All elected delegates will be expected to attend County Councils, workshops and other informational meetings dealing with the business of the Representative Assembly.
Section 2.
A. CEA delegates will be reimbursed for meals, lodging, and mileage as determined by the yearly budget.
B. NEA delegates will receive the same amount as that provided by the CEA for its NEA delegates.
ARTICLE VII — COMMITTEES
Section 1. Members: Members of all committees of the Association, including all joint committees of the Association and Administration whether elected or appointed, are representatives of and accountable to the Association and its members. All decisions regarding system policy or matters affecting teachers must be reviewed by the Executive Committee and/or the Representative Council. The Association representatives on all joint committees shall report monthly to the Representative Council.
Section 2. Titles and Duties
A. Standing Committees
1. The Personnel Policies Committee shall explore and prepare action programs as necessary in all areas of teacher welfare, creating subcommittees with particular responsibility for salaries, leave, fringe benefits, insurance, credit and investment facilities, and general working conditions. The negotiations team shall be formed from this committee. The dues of the negotiations team shall be paid during the length of the contract.
2. The Professional Rights and Responsibilities Committee shall explore and prepare action programs for securing satisfactory personnel policies and procedures for the redress of grievances. It shall advise the Representative Council on procedures for the implementation of the Code of Ethics. This committee shall advise the Executive Board in situations of censure, suspension, or expulsion of members. It shall develop a program of orientation to the Code of Ethics for all members of the Association.
3. The Public Relations Committee shall seek to develop public understanding of the purposes and programs of the Association, the values and importance of education, and, in cooperation with the administration, the educational philosophy and programs of the schools. It shall develop procedures by which the Association can work cooperatively with parents and public in civic, fraternal, and social organizations, and through all available channels of communications.
4. The Membership Committee shall organize and conduct unified local, state and national membership enrollment among non-members and to inform members of the policies, programs, and accomplishments of all Associations.
5. Political Action Committee
The mission of the Trumbull Education Association’s Political Action Committee (TEA PAC) is to recommend for endorsement candidates seeking political office who demonstrate a commitment to promote issues concerning children, teachers, and public education and to recommend and engage in other political activity to promote teachers, schools, and public education. Endorsement provides support and may include, but not necessarily limited to, the following: financial contributions, canvassing, rallies, press releases, advertisements, phone banks, and debates.
B. Joint Committees: The Association shall be represented on the:
1. Staff Development Committee which assists in the exploration and development of programs to raise and maintain standards for certification, employment, and assignment; to improve opportunities for pre-service, continuing, and in-service professional education; and to create and maintain rapport between the Association and neighboring or closely related institutions of higher education.
2. Evaluation Committee which develops and monitors the Trumbull Teacher Evaluation Plans.
3. Other committees as they are established.
C. Special Committees
1. The Scholarship Committee will be responsible for the screening of the yearly scholarship to a graduating high school son/daughter its members. The number of scholarships will be determined by the Executive Board. Screening Committee Members will be responsible for the application process. The Committee will present applications for vote by the Representative Council at its May meeting.
2. Other committees as they are established.
ARTICLE VIII — ELECTIONS
Section 1. Nominations
A. The active members of the Association in each building during the month of March may nominate a candidate for president(s) and vice-presidents in even numbered years, and the secretary and treasurer in odd numbered years. All nominations shall be in writing to the elections chair by the designated date as determined by the Representative Council.
B. The elections chair shall report all nominations to the Representative Council at the April meeting. Members of the Representative Council, at that meeting, may nominate other candidates from the floor.
C. The elections chair shall publish to the membership brief information on each candidate at least one week prior to balloting.
Section 2. Balloting
A. During the first week in May, members shall vote for officers by secret ballot, in accordance with procedures developed and approved by the Representative Council.
B. The elections chair shall report results to the president who shall cause them to be published. New officers shall be installed at the June meeting of the Representative Council.
ARTICLE IX — STANDARDS
The Association shall:
A. Apply the one-person — one-vote principle for representation in its governing bodies except that the Association shall take such steps as are legally permissible to achieve ethnic minority representation at least proportionate to its ethnic minority membership.
B. Conduct all elections with open nominations and a secret ballot.
C. Hold all Representative Council meetings open to the members of the Association.
D. Permit guests at Representative Council and General Membership meetings at the discretion of the president(s).
E. Endeavor to secure equal representation from all segments of the membership on all committees.
ARTICLE X — REMOVAL OF OFFICERS
Executive officers of the Association may be impeached for violation of the Code of Ethics of the Education Profession for misfeasance, for malfeasance, or for nonfeasance in office.
Section 1. Impeachment proceedings against an officer may be initiated by written petition submitted to the Representative Council by at least fifteen percent of the Representative Council members.
Section 2. If after a due process hearing, a two-thirds vote of the Representative Council membership shall sustain the charge, the office shall become vacant.
ARTICLE XI — AMENDMENTS
Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by majority vote at any regular meeting of the Representative Council provided that the proposed amendments have been previously studied by the Executive Board and that written copies have been sent to faculty representatives two calendar weeks in advance of the meeting at which voting will take place.
